Taking stock of hoops over the holidays

For high school basketball fans, it really is a most wonderful time of year.

Holiday hoops tournaments get underway next week, and I spent the better part of this week talking hoops and the holidays with captains from most of the boys and girls teams in the area.

Happy Holidays.

1. What do you like most about playing in a holiday tournament?

Robert Bryant, Vernon Hills: Being able to celebrate the holidays with the team is a lot of fun. You still have time to spend with your family, but you also get to play basketball. It's great.

Jessica Feece, Vernon Hills: We're playing in the Mundelein tournament and there are so many high-quality teams there. It'll be great competition for us.

Jon Martinez, Round Lake: You get to play games almost every day. I like that and I also like watching the other games, too.

Vanessa Rodriguiz, Round Lake: We play at McHenry and I like how we're playing new teams. You go into the games a little blind. That's kind of fun.

Chris Terzic, Antioch: I like not really knowing about all the teams that we'll be playing.

Allie Anttila, Antioch: We'll be at Lisle and it's nice to still be able to hang out with your friends and play basketball over the break. It's so much fun.

Craig Burton, Warren: We travel down to Pontiac every year and it just seems like our team always gets a lot closer on that trip. We do everything together. It's like we become a family.

Marko Grcic, Lake Zurich: We go to Pekin and it's fun to play teams that we've never seen before.

Audrey Bauer, Lake Zurich: We play at the Holiday Showcase and the games rotate between Stevenson, Niles West, Loyola and Trinity. We like that because it gives us the chance to play teams we wouldn't normally play.

Josh Rappaport, Grayslake Central: We're going to Bloomington and it's just fun to go away with the team. It's a really good bonding experience. We do a lot of stuff together.

Jonathan Huisel, Carmel: We get to play a lot of games and not really practice.

Jerry Gaylor, Grant: Getting to play at home (in the Grant Holiday Tournament) is great. We've got a pretty good fan section.

Morgan Liles, Grant: We go to Mundelein and it's a good tournament. It gives us some excitement over break and gives us the chance to get better.

Ross Sauer, Grayslake North: We'll be at Grant and it's a fun environment, much different than just playing your normal regular season games.

Ben Brust, Mundelein: I love getting to play teams that we normally don't play. We go to Jacobs. That's also a really fun gym to play in.

Brooke Evans, Mundelein: We like hosting a tournament. You don't have to travel, but you get to see a lot of really good teams.

Tammy Ellis, Wauconda: We're in a 20-team tournament at Marengo. It's fun to be in a big tournament and see and play a lot of new teams.

Katelynn Jennings, Libertyville: We go to Mundelein and it is always so competitive. You're also getting to play against some new teams.

Anna Morrissey, Stevenson: We're playing in the (Holiday Showcase). It's exciting because we're getting to play against a lot of really good teams like Loyola, Barrington and Lake Zurich.

2. What team do you look forward to playing over the holidays and why?

Bryant: Our first game (at the Wheeling Tournament) is against Loyola. We've been looking for a signature win and we'd get one if we beat them.

Feece: In the four years I've been playing, we've never beaten Mundelein. I am really looking forward to playing them.

Martinez: We'll be at Grant and I like playing Grant. We kind of have a rivalry going with them.

Terzic: We'll be at Marengo and Sycamore is also going to be there. We played them over the summer and they beat us but it was one of our better games. I think we'd like to get some revenge.

Anttila: Lisle is a really good team and two years ago they beat us in the tournament championship game.

Burton: We play Peoria Manuel in our first game. They're always pretty good. That should be a lot of fun.

Grcic: Playing Pekin is always fun because it's their home floor and they always bring a great energy to their games.

Rappaport: North Chicago is also going to be down in Bloomington and I'm hoping we get a shot at them. It would be nice to play them before the (state) tournament. They beat us last year in the sectional.

Huisel: Notre Dame will be at Wheeling, too, and they're in our conference. It would be fun to play them before conference.

Gaylor: I like playing Grayslake North because I've got a lot of friends on that team from AAU.

Sauer: Grant is always a fun team to play. We always match up with them well.

Brust: We've never played against Jacobs at their tournament. It would be neat to play them, but I think we'd both have to make it to the championship game for that to happen.

Ellis: Last year, we lost in the championship game of the tournament to Crystal Lake South. I'm hoping for a rematch.

Jennings: We have a deep history with Mundelein so it's always fun to play them. We get pumped for that game.

Morrissey: We're looking forward to playing Barrington. We're going to have to play well because we've heard they're really aggressive.

3. What's the best sports-related holiday gift you've ever received?

Bryant: I got my first basketball when I was 4 or 5. It was one of those really cheap ones, but I didn't care. I was just glad to have my own so I didn't have to use my big brother's any more. One year, I also got a picture of my face super-imposed over Kobe Bryant's body and he's dunking. I still have it. It's hanging in my bedroom right now. I'm still waiting for my first dunk in a game. Maybe it will come over Christmas. That would be a great gift.

Feece: I got a karate board as a Secret Santa gift a couple years ago. It got broken right away.

Martinez: Two years ago, I got a pair of 1992 Michael Jordan shoes. They're all white with some red across the side. They're really hard to find, but my Dad got them for me. I really don't wear them, only on special occasions.

Rodriguiz: My Aunt Janet is in the Marines so I rarely see her. Last year, she saw my basketball shoes and saw how old they were. I had been wearing the same ones since seventh grade because my feet really hadn't grown. Plus, my family doesn't really have a lot of money to be buying new shoes every year. So for Christmas, she got me a new pair of shoes. It was such a heartfelt gift. I still wear them now.

Terzic: When I was 16, I got a set of catcher's gear. I also play baseball and I've been a catcher for a few years. It's my favorite gift because it comes in so handy. There's nothing wrong with the school's equipment, but I use mine just because I really like the way it fits.

Anttila: I'm a shortstop in softball and one year I got a new mitt and bat. I really loved that.

Burton: I was 5 or 6 when my Dad got me this little hoop. I put it in my room and was really excited about it.

Grcic: When I was in like sixth or seventh grade, I got the newest Nikes that came out. They were really cool.

Bauer: One year, probably when I was about 11, I got a tennis racket. It was a good gift because I really wanted to play tennis then.

Rappaport: When I was 6 or 7, I got my first basketball hoop. That's when I first starting playing basketball and I appreciated that a lot.

Huisel: My brother is always getting me sports memorabilia because I love that. One year, he got me a Mark Prior game-used glove. I actually use it during baseball season. It's pretty cool.

Gaylor: In seventh grade, I got a hoop from my Dad for the driveway. But in eighth grade, I broke it dunking. He got another one and I broke that one, too.

Liles: I was hoping for a basketball hoop for the driveway when I was in sixth grade and I got one.

Sauer: When I was in third grade, I got tickets to see Purdue play in the Rose Bowl. Before we moved to Illinois when I was in fifth grade, we lived in Lafayette, Indiana. I love Purdue. A lot of my family went there, and I'm going to be going there, too. That was a great gift, and the even though Purdue lost that game, it was such a fun thing to do.

Brust: I went to Michael Jordan's first game back in Chicago when he was with the Washington Wizards. My dad got us tickets. That was a great gift. It was a pretty loud and crazy game.

Evans: One year I got a bunch of basketball shirts that were really nice.

Ellis: One year, I was probably 12 or 13, I got one of those rebounders, which you can put on your hoop and made shots come back to you. That was a good gift. When I was younger, I got a lot of cool sports gifts like pogo sticks and stilts, basketballs and soccer balls. I always had a lot of cool things to play with.

Jennings: When I got my first basketball bag in seventh grade I got really excited. It's black and it says "Triple Threat" on it and shows a basketball player in the triple threat position. I still use it.

Morrissey: My entire family went to a Bulls game one year.

4. What's at the top of your wish list this year - and what do you think your teammates are wishing for?

Bryant: I would love a car. Right now, I drive a minivan, so if I could get anything besides a minivan, I would be happy. I'd say my teammates would really like Chipotle's gift cards. We go there all the time after games.

Feece: I would like a new iPod Touch because my old one got run through the washing machine, along with my phone. I think some people on the team are hoping for Ugg boots. They're popular again.

Martinez: I'm not really picky. Whatever I get, I get. I think my teammates are hoping for some Kobe Bryant or LeBron James shoes.

Rodriguiz: I'm hoping that as much of my family as possible can get together. Everyone is kind of spread out, but I'm hoping we can all be in one place for the holidays. We just did a Secret Santa exchange and everyone had to say what they wanted and a lot of my teammates were hoping for slippers and fuzzy, warm socks.

Terzic: I'd really like to get an iPod Touch because I lost mine and right now I'm using one of the little iPods. I think my teammates would probably want some more wins.

Anttila: Clothes, money, books, the usual. Anything would be fine. I've really already got everything I need. I think a lot of my teammates are hoping for new cell phones.

Burton: Money. Everyone usually just gives me money. I like to save it to use during the summer, or for a rainy day. We've got a really young team so a lot of our guys are still really into video games. I hear them talking about some Pokemon video game.

Grcic: Some money would be nice. A laptop would be nice since I'm going off to college soon. But really, I'm fine. There's not too much I'm looking for.

Bauer: I needed a new pair of basketball shoes but I just got that because I couldn't wait any longer. They were getting bad. So I guess-wish granted.

Rappaport: I'm hoping to get some Xbox games. I think my teammates would probably say the same thing. We've got a lot of gamers on this team.

Huisel: I'm hoping for some Sammy Sosa, Derrick Rose or Jay Cutler memorabilia this year. My teammates are talking about new cell phones.

Gaylor: I want to get a new iPod because I broke mine. I think my teammates are hoping for video games.

Liles: I didn't really ask for anything this year except for new basketball shoes. I think all my teammates want different things.

Sauer: I'm heading to college soon so a laptop would be nice. It would be great if I could also get season tickets to Purdue football for next year.

Brust (who will be playing at Iowa next year): I'm always up for some more Hawkeye stuff. According to all my friends, that's all I wear now.

Evans: I'd like some money or a laptop for college. I hear a lot of girls on my team talking about electronics like the iPod.

Ellis: I like watching TV shows like Smallville on DVD. Maybe the new Taylor Swift CD and some money. I think my teammates are into the same stuff.

Jennings: I'm pushing for a cat. We have a dog, but I'd love a cat, too because I love animals. I've heard my teammates talking about the Snuggie. It's so popular.

Morrissey: I like getting movies and TV shows on DVD.

5. What gift does your team need to play better basketball the rest of the season?

Bryant: We need to be more consistent.

Feece: We have to get the ball into the post more. We have two really good players there and we're not getting the ball to them enough.

Martinez: We need better defense. We need to be better at staying with our man and using teamwork on defense.

Rodriguiz: We need more rebounding. We lost a game to Grant (this week) and that's what killed us.

Terzic: We need to be able to close out games in the fourth quarter. We're playing three quarters tough but we're not finishing off teams.

Anttila: A few 6-foot-3 transfers would be nice.

Burton: Turnovers have been a problem for us. We need fewer of them. Also, if there's a gift for playing hard for a whole game, we could use that. We usually start off well and finish hard but sometimes we don't always play so great in the middle.

Grcic: We need help with our shooting. It's been off lately.

Bauer: We need better passing. We make a lot of bad passes.

Rappaport: We need more consistency. We've played some teams really well and then don't play at all like that in other games.

Huisel: We need more consistent play, especially from our main scorers. Sometimes one guy will get 20 points but the other two will get like 8 points apiece. We need them all getting (double-figures).

Gaylor: Fewer turnovers. We have way too many of those.

Liles: We need better communication. It seems like everyone isn't always on the same page.

Sauer: We need better communication. We're just not talking as much as we should.

Brust: We've lost two straight games. I think we could use a good kick in the butt.

Evans: We just need to have everyone understanding their roles.

Ellis: Our coaches get on us about rebounding and not boxing out. We need to do that better. We do fine in practice and then in games we let the other team get all kinds of offensive rebounds that kill us.

Jennings: We need some consistency. It's something we've been struggling with.

Morrissey: We need to play with more emotion. We need to play harder and with more aggressiveness.